Summary
Decentralized Authority would like to apply for USDT and FUSE token Grant to:
- Add Fuse Validation to Node Launcher, a new, open-source, TypeScript node deployment engine, making Fuse full nodes, archival nodes, and validator nodes deployable from any application with a few lines of code.
- Add Fuse archival nodes and one-click validation to Node Pilot, a user-friendly, GUI-driven node deployment software built on the Node Launcher engine.
- Maintain and update Fuse nodes in accordance to latest stable releases.
- Operate a Fuse Validator to provide mainnet testing and build a long-term partnership.
Background
Shane and Ryan Burgett started developing Node Pilot in August 2020 after being unable to find a comprehensive node deploy/management solution. Shane was a full-time business development contributor to Pocket Network since January 2019. Ryan is a full-stack crypto application developer with years of experience in the areas of wallets, interoperability platforms, mining, and node deployment.
Motivation/Rationale
To keep blockchain networks both secure and censorship resistant, crypto projects need to have a strong node community that is decentralized and always up-to-date. However the technical skills required to run crypto nodes severely limits who can participate, and the lack of node toolings leaves most networks running out-of-date software. Decentralized Authority is driving a new solution that addresses node deployment on both a technical and user-experience level to democratize node running while adhering to industry best practices for any blockchain.
This was first done by building a new node deployment engine called Node Launcher. Node Launcher is a TypeScript library that enables any application to deploy nodes and validators via Docker with only a few lines of code. For the first time, developers can programmatically add node deployment features to any application using only JavaScript. No more CLI, bash scripts, or wrestling with docker config files. Blockchains that are supported in Node Launcher have a powerful node tool to streamline deployments and automate version updating.
With Node Launcher addressing the technical side of node deployments, Node Pilot was created to be free-software that enables users to deploy, manage, and monetize crypto nodes and validators with a few clicks. Seamless Docker integration through Node Launcher brings enterprise-level security and scalability while providing users a simple self-hosted GUI interface. Node Pilot currently supports 10+ blockchain nodes and is bringing 1-click validation capabilities to non-technical users.
There are some limited node management platforms out there like DappNode and AVADO, which are great for simple node deployment, but are locked to a dedicated OS or proprietary hardware and lack the features required for someone to be an effective validator operator on most networks. Validators that are not run properly or outdated become a burden on their networks. Decentralized Authority is designing flexible tools from the ground up to be just as easy as these other platforms while providing important features that make for good validator operators.
When users don’t have a user-friendly, self-hosting solution for participating in their favorite blockchains, their only option is to turn to hosting services where they must trust their keys to 3rd parties. Many of these services are great, but crypto should be an ecosystem with options, and a solution like Node Pilot gives everyone the freedom to be an independent validator operator by overcoming the technical barriers that exist today.
Objective(s)
- Fully integrate Fuse full nodes, archival nodes, and validator nodes into the Node Launcher. This would give the Fuse ecosystem an approachable developer tool to create node deployment applications.
- Add Fuse validation to Node Pilot as a one-stop, full stack solution for user-friendly self-hosting. This gives all users the ability to run Fuse validators with industry best practices and seamless updating via a user-friendly GUI.
- Provide long-term update support to ensure Fuse Valdiators and Pocket Validators are operating on the most up-to-date Fuse software.
- Run a mainnet Fuse Validator to provide a real world testing environment for Decentralized Authority to test new updates. This will allow updates to be tested internally before being pushed to the larger community. It is crucial to ensure updates work on mainnet validators.
- Create Fuse focused documentation and provide technical support to developers using Node Launcher, and node operators using Node Pilot.
Deliverable(s)
- Add Fuse node suite to Node Launcher
- Full nodes
- Archival nodes
- Validator nodes
- Mainnet and Testnet support
- Add Fuse to Node Pilot
- Full Fuse node suite
- 1-click validation
- CLI Command Entry support
- User resources and documentation for Node Launcher and Node Pilot
- VMs/images that enable 1-click deployments
- AWS
- Digital Ocean
- VMware
Budget
10k USDT grant to build initial integrations and documentation
- Node Launcher
- Node Pilot
100k FUSE to operate Fuse Validator
- 18 month lock-up
- Provides Mainnet validation testing for Node Launcher and Node Pilot
- Establish a long-term, cross-ecosystem partnership
Contributor(s)
Shane Burgett - Pocket bizdev contributor with a background in business development, marketing, design, and media production.
Ryan Burgett - Full-stack Web3 application developer with 4+ years of experience in the areas of wallets, interoperability platforms, mining, and node deployment.